Why I’m Testing My App Idea Like I Test Code?
Here’s what developers hate hearing: “I found 50 bugs in your code.”
And here’s what they say back: “But it works fine! I tested it myself!”
Sure it does. In the ONE perfect way you used it.
You tested it as the boss with full access. What about normal users? You tested it on Chrome. What about Safari? You tested it with fast internet. What about slow WiFi?
That “perfect” feature only works in your perfect little world.
Think about vacation photos on social media. Beautiful beach, perfect sunset, everyone smiling. They don’t show the sunburn, the long lines, or the fight about where to eat dinner. You only posted the five perfect minutes out of a whole messy week.
The photos weren’t fake. They just left out the messy parts.
That’s exactly what happens with business ideas.
I’m about to build a dream achievement app. In my head, it’s perfect:
Users store their life goals (career dreams, fitness targets, creative projects). They choose private or public. For public dreams, the community offers support and suggestions. Users track progress with journal entries. The app sends gentle reminders. Milestones get celebrated with badges and streaks.
Beautiful, right? Like those vacation photos.
But here’s what I don’t know yet (the messy parts):
- Will people actually use it? Maybe they love the idea but never open the app after day 3.
- Public or private? I assume people want community support. But what if they’re too embarrassed to share real goals?
- What kills their motivation? Maybe reminders feel annoying. Maybe badges feel childish. Maybe they just forget it exists.
- What’s missing? Maybe they need something I haven’t thought of at all.
In my perfect little world, this app changes lives. But I only tested it in my head.
So I’m doing what I teach software testers: breaking my assumptions before they break me.
Here’s my testing plan:
Test #1: Does anyone care?
If I describe this app and 10 people say “meh,” I just saved months of work. If 100 people say “I’d use that tomorrow,” now I’m onto something.
Test #2: What’s the real use case?
I think people want community support. But maybe they just want private tracking. Or maybe they want both but for different types of dreams. I need to ask and listen.
Test #3: What breaks the habit?
Most goal apps die after a week. Why? I need to understand what makes people abandon these apps so I can design around that failure.
Test #4: What feature matters most?
Progress tracking? Community? Reminders? Badges? I can’t build everything perfectly on day one. I need to know what to prioritize.
This is the difference between testing and hoping.
Developers who skip this spend 6 months building features nobody uses. They test if buttons work but never test if anyone cares.
I’m not making that mistake.
So here’s where I need your help:
I’m testing this idea in public. Tell me the truth:
- Would you actually use a dream-tracking app like this? Why or why not?
- Public dreams with community support, or private goals just for you?
- What killed your motivation with other goal apps you’ve tried?
- What’s missing from this concept? What would make it actually useful?
If this idea has fatal flaws, I want to know NOW. Not after I’ve built it.
And if it’s solid, your feedback will shape what actually gets built.
Comment below or message me. Brutal honesty welcome.
And if you want to learn how to test ideas before they cost you time and money, whether it’s software, business concepts, or features – check out my Software Testing Mastery course. Because the best bug to catch is the one that never gets built.
